Reminiscence
by Saryon Vanyel Newander
Summary: A story about Koumyou and Kouryuu as well as Ukoku and Kami.. Just trying to answer some unexplained things. First fic ever, please review so I know how to improve?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Kouryuu - wake up." The boy's eyes slowly opened, then closed again. "Wake up, my child." The same voice stated. With great effort, the boy managed to open his drooping purple eyes. He rubbed at them, trying to steady his vision as he was not yet completely awake.

"M-master?" He said, letting out a yawn. The boy clenched his fists, and stretched with a slight smile. His master had just opened up a shade, letting the sun's rays seep through the large window. Night's general - the moon - had just been defeated by the raging inferno, which was was holding up flags of purple, pink and orange across the sky.

The boy shoved the covers of the bed off to the side, and went to join his master at the window. The master often watched the sunrise and set at the window next to Kouryuu's bed. Often they sat down together and told stories until the sun did as it needed to do. At that point, the master would bend over and kiss his student gingerly on the forehead.

The master sat but three feet away from him. He seemed to have had a late start that day - as he was just finishing his braid now. Kouryuu watched as the master carefully put strand on top of strand and pulled tightly so not a single piece of hair would be out of place. The master has graceful fingers - Kouryuu thought to himself. He smiled slightly, and took his usual place beside his master.

"Kouryuu, could you hold the end of my braid for a second? I need to find a hair tie." Kouryuu nodded and grabbed the end of the graying cascade of hair. Gracefully, the master rose and moved toward the dresser on the near right. He picked up the small black tie on the dresser, took the braid from his student's hands, and put it in the end. Kouryuu watched as the long braid fell to to the ground like a waterfall. "Thank you, Kouryuu." He said, ruffling the small boy's blonde hair. Kouryuu smiled.

"Look over there!"Kouryuu said, pointing at the sky. "Look at all the colors!" The master looked up. The pastel colors still overtook the blue mass.

"That's one of the greatest gifts of all, Kouryuu." The master said, looking down at his student. Kouryuu seemed confused - there was no gift in color, was there? The master chuckled when he took notice of the small boy's confused glare. "Colors, Kouryuu. Just like when we made those paper airplanes."

"The orange ones, right?" The boy interrupted. "When we were supposed to be in temple - and I was sweeping. You were making airplanes out of paper!" The boy looked up towards his master looking for a yes or no answer.

"Supposed to be? Kouryuu - you do what you think is right. I didn't attend because they didn't want to have anything to do with me... They just respect my title - not Koumyou." The boy blinked puzzled. Koumyou sighed. "Its all about what you are, not who you are. But yes, that was the day. Orange brings out the blue in the sky. Its a simple thing to learn, really. Blue and orange, Purple and Green... That's why the sky looks so pretty now - it knows the secret of color. So many different colors at once, each one enhancing the other's beauty... Ah!" The master said, suddenly with a slight smile. "Its like people, Kouryuu. A cruel person will make a kind person seem all the more pleasant."


	2. Chapter 2

The boy tilted his head to the side, still a bit unsure. "If you say so, master." He said, quickly. The master smiled.

"I know so." He said, reaching out a hand, pulling Kouryuu close to him. "I know so." Slowly he put his head back, and sighed. The sun's rays were beating down upon his neck. "You know Kouryuu-" He said, turning to face the boy, opening the eye closest to him, "We're going to have a guest later today."

"A guest? Should I sweep?" The boy asked, innocently.

"No need for it, Kouryuu. The guest is an old friend of mine, Ukoku Sanzo. He'll be bringing his son over, too."

"A son? How old is he?" Kouryuu asked. The master put his hand to his chin.

"He's about your age, I'm thinking." He said, quietly. "A lonely child... I don't think he has any friends."

"...Friends?"

"... You don't have too many yourself, do you? The rest of the monks here fear you, they dislike you..."

"Yeah." Kouryuu said, looking down. "Dislike isn't a strong enough word."

"Let me ask you something," The master said, looking his student in the eyes. "Do you really want their friendship? For what its worth, I don't think being friends with them is worth it." Koumyou lit his pipe. Kouryuu watched as the smoke silently danced upwards towards the ceiling, forming a protective layer between the student and master. Kouryuu flailed his arm in an attempt to push the smoke to the side.

"I don't either." He said, suddenly. "Why would I want to be friends with people who call me names? Taunt me for things I can't help..."

"You wouldn't." The master interrupted, taking a puff from his pipe. "People like that aren't really friends. They don't know what a friend is, and chances are, they never really had one. Those are the kinds of people who feel like they need to put others down to get friends - to feel wanted. But the real question here is - who would truly want to be loved by others who think of you only as another name? Its just a way to brag, Kouryuu. They aren't friends. They're numbers."

"I don't want to be a number." Kouryuu stated.

"The life of a number is a lonely one." Koumyou added, walking towards the door. "Get ready now, my child. The company will be here soon." Then, with a final smile, he disappeared behind the now closed door.

_A number?_ Kouryuu thought to himself, while getting his priest-in-training robe. _So, they aren't friends. They don't all gang up on me in a group because they like each other.. its to impress each other. Make it look like they have a bunch of friends, and the normal thing to do is to dislike me. Could it truly be that shallow? They just want to look like they have a lot of friends..._


	3. Chapter 3

"Ukoku!" Koumyou ran towards the other Sanzo, and embraced him lightly. "Its been years - how are you?" He asked, smiling. Kouryuu stood several feet behind his master.

"I'm doing fine, Koumyou." The Sanzo responded, smiling slightly. "Not much has changed since last time. I just got this kid following me around now." He motioned towards the kid hiding under the long sleeve of his robe. The child was slightly shorter then Kouryuu was, with hair a lighter shade of blonde. Covering his right eye was a small piece of cloth which found its home in the boys matted hair.

The Sanzo himself was equally as odd - if not more eccentric. He was a heretical Sanzo - having no chakra on his forehead, like Koumyou, Kouryuu's master did. It was said he was one of the smartest men at the time, and one of the most powerful when it came to Buddhist powers - and the youngest Sanzo too, at only twenty three years old. He dressed similar to Koumyou, though his robes were white unlike Koumyou's off-white ones. He wore glasses - which enlarged his pitch black eyes- the same tone as his shoulder length, tangled hair.

The boy ran up to Kouryuu, with a smile spread out across his boyish face.  
"Wanna play?" He asked, holding a doll out to the older boy. The doll was an old thing, its orange hair starting to fade as the pieces of yarn unraveled. It smiled with button eyes and pieces of felt on its cheeks.

"Huh?" Kouryuu responded, glaring at the other boy. Never had he seen another child around the temple who had hair, like himself and his master.

"Play!" The voice was persistent. "Do you want to?" The boy grabbed at Kouryuu's wrist. Before the young Kouryuu could retract his arm, the other boy grabbed it.

"Hey!" Kouryuu screamed at the boy. "Don't touch me!" Kouryuu's pupils grew huge in rage.

"Oh.. I'm sorry." The other boy said, lowering his head in a small bow. I didn't mean to upset you." Before Kouryuu could respond, another voice was heard.

"Heh.. Come on, now. Being stubborn with the ladies leaves you lonely." Kouryuu turned around to face the other Sanzo. The other boy saw him too. "Come here." The Sanzo beckoned for the other boy to come to him.

"Yes, Sensei!" The boy smiled, and gladly ran toward his master. He gave the man a quick hug, then retreated to his place behind the man's sleeve. Kouryuu stood, baffled. The boy saw this as an opportune time to taunt the other child, by sticking out his tongue. After all, he had his masters protection if anything went wrong. Kouryuu stood, dumbfounded.

"Wait..." The Sanzo said, pushing the boy aside and taking a step towards Kouryuu. "You're a boy? With such a pretty face, I mistook you for a girl." He chucked uneasily. "Sorry about that." The man's face grew unreadable suddenly. He reached out his hand, and placed it under Kouryuu's chin. After moving the face around so he could look at all angles, he said the words that would stick with Kouryuu for the rest of his life. "I see... a kiddo who combines heaven and hell."

"Huh?" Was the only response Kouryuu could think of. _A hidden meaning... _he thought to himself.

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself. Well then, Kouryuu-kun. See you later." The man reached for the crown which was upon his head. Slowly, he took it off giving Kouryuu the first good glance at his face. The man smiled, and turned so his back faced Kouryuu. He started to head back to the main temple to visit with Koumyou, but took one last look behind him, beckoned to the other boy, and was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun had begun to set. Slowly, Night's army overtook the inferno, encasing it in a shroud of blue. The only trace left of the sun's once powerful reign was the red trail across the sky - its blood. It was a long fight, but all battles can only have one victor... And so the sun was put to rest, waiting for the next day, when it would have its revenge.

"Hey, Sensei? Who was that boy?" The young child asked, looking up with admiring eyes.

"Him? ... Koumyou's child, you mean?" The Sanzo said, looking toward his young student, grabbing the boy's hand. "That... is a very special kiddo."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" The boy leaned against his master. "Special... what is that?"

"You wouldn't know, would you." The Sanzo pointed towards the dying inferno. "Do you see that?" He asked. "From this point on the cliff, it looks like its almost gone, doesn't it?" The boy nodded. "Well, on the other side of the world, its slowly ascending. That's what that kids like. Darkness and light. They are one in the same in him."

"...Darkness and light?" The boy asked, slightly confused. He gazed at the sun, in a vain attempt to try to see past the ball of fire that it was, and into the meaning of his masters words.

"That kid is going to become a Sanzo one day - just like me." He said, quietly.

"Like you...? Sensei! I want to be just like you!" The boy said, standing up, and smiling. "I love you, Sensei! You mean everything to me! Every time someone loved me... they just... loved the idea of me. They liked I was a child. I was young, I was innocent... They didn't care what happened to me after that brief night... They wanted me for that time and that was the end of it. But you - you actually want me.. and for that, I envy you."

"Well, kiddo, everything alive is God's toy. He does whatever he wants with each one - places them in poses, moves them about... sometimes, he loses a toy in his attic. You know, that's where I found you. In a small corner, in God's attic. You sat all alone, collecting cobwebs in your hair... You never had any real friends. But how could you? God didn't know where he put you, so how could he put others in your path?"

"But you found me, sensei... and you gave me friendship."

"...I did, did I? ... Well, let's play a game. There will be risks, though. Are you willing to play?" The boy nodded, eagerly. "When the same ends, everything is going to shatter and disappear. The game will last until you lose."

"I lose...?"

"A toy, kiddo. A toy. People grow up and have no more need for them... and that is when the games end."

"I think I understand, Sensei." The boy said, looking his master in the eyes.  
"Good." The Sanzo smiled at the young boy, and rested one of his hands on the boy's face. "Hey, kiddo?"

"Yes?" The boy brushed his face against the Sanzo's chest.

"Think of me as god, ok? From now on, you'll be my toy." The Sanzo brushed the kid's hair gently.

"I'd like that." He whispered. "I'd like that very much."


	5. Chapter 5

"Sensei!" The boy ran down the vast halls of the manor. Various stuffed animals cluttered the halls, making it hard for the boy's small legs to make it through the halls at the speed he wanted. It had been almost a week since his eyes met with his masters. "Sensei..." The realization had struck. Sanzo Ukoku was not coming back. The boy was alone.

Forcing his short legs through the toys, he found himself at his masters old room. "Sensei..." He whispered into the small breeze coming in through the massive stained glass window. The wind seemed to be warning him of something - trying to deliver a desperate message. The boy uttered his masters name for the last time, held his arms up to his side, shut his eyes, and walked to where the winds decided to lead him.

Step after step he went - this time easily pushing through the toys as though they were simply sand. He walked down vast corridors and empty halls which he could never remember seeing when his master was here with him. Slowly he walked down a spiral staircase seemingly made out of marble. He held tightly to the railing in hopes that he wouldn't slip on the finely polished steps. Despite his fears and misery, he continued further and further until he found himself at a final staircase. The stairs were made of white marble - though they were in poor repair. Fog encased the stairs, giving it a chilling affect. The boy held his hands close to his body in an attempt to keep warm.

Slowly he descended the staircase. The final room of the manor. Stained glass windows surrounded him in all directions - each one reaching from floor to ceiling where they met at a painting of an unknown saint which watched over the room. It was in this room the boy came across the note.

_Hey, Kiddo.  
I didn't want to say this to your face - I knew you'd grab onto  
my robes like you usually do and plead to follow me. Not that it's  
a bad thing -- I'm going to miss that, actually.  
But that's not the point of this note. I hope you're not too starved  
by the time you find it. You're a smart boy though, you'd probably  
figure I wasn't coming back after a day or so. I hope you found this  
room easily enough. But that's besides the point --  
Everything you see here is now yours. The castle - the possessions in  
my room.. the toys.. everything. Use them as you will. Just remember -  
Don't let the game end, kiddo. Never let it end._

Beside the note was the crown and robes that his Sensei wore. The boy ran his fingers down the robe, feeling his master's clothing for the last time. After this moment, he was going to be Kami-Sama, not his Sensei. He would be the one to start the games. He would be God.


	6. Chapter 6

Kouryuu stood over his master's body. This wasn't like all those days when Koumyou would stand over his bed smiling and telling the boy to wake up - This was much, much worse. The boy sank down to his knees, and slowly touched his master's face. Cold. In one last attempt to see if there was any life left, he grabbed onto his master's hands. They were not the usual warm hands which greeted him daily, and held him when he was scared. No, these were foreign hands. Death's hands. The very hands which formed the protective barrier which saved him from the demon's claws... at the cost of his master's life.

The boy sighed, and cleaned some of the blood off his master's face. Even if he was dead, couldn't he look like the master Kouryuu once knew? Kouryuu stood motionless staring at the corpse. What more could he do? His master passed on his title - and then died while trying to protect. Kouryuu's, who now carried his old master's name Toua Genjo Sanzo Houshi-sama, proved to him his vulnerability. Muichimotsu - hold nothing. Why protect people... when in the end you end up like this? Kouryuu thought to himself. My master - this wise and kind person, on the ground in a pile of his own blood..

Kouryuu couldn't take it anymore. He fell on all fours over his former master, and let out a tear. "I'm sorry I was too weak to protect myself... I'm sorry you had to--"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door, and then the sound of the door sliding to let someone. Slowly he turned from his master towards the intruder. Shuei- one of the teachers at the temple.

"Dear gods.." He said, walking towards Kouryuu. "What happened?" Kouryuu slowly rose to his feet.

"Demons," He started. "Demons came in and attacked Koumyou for the Sutras. They got one... the other I managed to save. It turned out I was the one who needed to be saved, though, and Koumyou.. he..." Shuei grabbed Kouryuu in his arms

.  
"I'm sorry, kid."

"... Don't touch me." Kouryuu shouted, shoving the monk away from him. "Just leave me alone!" Kouryuu took one last look at his former master, and ran out side, towards Koumyou's old room. He placed his head in his arms and sniffled a little - somehow, he couldn't bring himself to cry.

_"If I can't have my Sensei... its only fair that you can't have yours."_ Kouryuu looked up, swearing he heard a voice. After looking around the room, he took his place back on the bed. Nobody was there - he was sure of it.

_"Its all just a game, Kouryuu... and you never told me if you wanted to play or not. So, I guess I'm just going to have to make the choice for you."_ The boy jumped down from the tree he was sitting in outside the temple. _"You're going to play with me -- I'm so glad."_


End file.
